Efficacy of dupilumab in patients with oral corticosteroid (OCS)-dependent, severe asthma with and without an allergic phenotype: phase 3 LIBERTY ASTHMA VENTURE

Background: Dupilumab, a fully human monoclonal antibody, blocks the shared receptor component for IL‑4/IL-13, key and central drivers of type 2 inflammatory diseases, including allergic asthma. In VENTURE (NCT02528214), add-on dupilumab 300mg q2w significantly reduced OCS dose and severe exacerbations and improved FEV1 in patients (pts) with OCS-dependent, severe asthma. Dupilumab was generally well tolerated. Aim: To assess dupilumab efficacy in VENTURE pts with and without an allergic phenotype (serum total IgE ≥30IU/mL and ≥1 perennial aeroallergen-specific IgE ≥0.35kU/L at baseline [BL]). Methods: Percent reduction in OCS dose at Week 24, annualized severe exacerbation rate (AER), and change from BL at Week 24 in pre-BD FEV1 (L) were assessed post hoc in pts with and without an allergic asthma phenotype. Results: BL characteristics were generally similar in pts with (n=86) and without (n=124) an allergic phenotype. Dupilumab reduced OCS dose by 73% and 69% vs BL and by 32% and 28% vs placebo in pts with and without an allergic phenotype, and reduced AER by 72% and 45% vs placebo, respectively. Dupilumab also improved pre-BD FEV1 in both groups (Table). Conclusions: Dupilumab significantly reduced OCS dose and AER and numerically improved lung function in patients with OCS-dependent, severe asthma regardless of allergic phenotype.